The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has issued a formal apology following widespread outrage over the late conduct of the English Language Paper 2 in the ongoing 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The examination, which was scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, May 28, 2025, was conducted in the evening instead, causing inconvenience to candidates, schools, and parents nationwide.
In a public statement signed by Moyosola Adesina, Acting Head of the Public Affairs Department, WAEC explained that the decision to delay the exam stemmed from efforts to uphold the integrity of the examination process
The council emphasized that the primary aim was to prevent any leakage of examination papers.
“While maintaining the integrity and security of our examination, we faced considerable challenges primarily due to our major aim of preventing leakage of any paper,” WAEC stated.
“We recognise the importance of the timely conduct of examinations and the impact of this decision on candidates, their schools and parents, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused,” the statement read.
Backstory
Videos and photos circulated on social media showed students sitting for the English Language examination as late as 10:00 p.m., relying on torchlights and lanterns due to power outages.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage and renewed concerns about examination planning and student welfare.
One of the videos posted online captured the scene at a WAEC examination centre in near-total darkness, where students could be seen writing under dim lighting conditions.
The footage added to the growing criticism of how the situation was handled, as many questioned the preparedness of the examination body and the effect of such conditions on candidates’ performance.
Operational challenges faced
WAEC highlighted that, despite their best efforts, they encountered logistical hurdles, security concerns, and socio-cultural factors that negatively influenced their operations.
“In spite of our best efforts, we encountered logistical hurdles, security concerns and socio-cultural factors that negatively influenced our operations,” WAEC explained.
The council reiterated its commitment to upholding the highest standards in examination conduct and pledged to continue promoting academic excellence.
“We successfully achieved our objective, but it inadvertently impacted the timeliness and seamless conduct of the examination,” the council stated.
Parents express concerns over late examination hours
The delay led to students finishing their examinations late into the evening, prompting concerns from parents about the safety and well-being of their children.
Mrs. Banke Oluwole, whose child was still in the examination hall at 8:30 p.m., expressed her worries
“My son is still writing an English paper at St. Barnabas Secondary school, and I have to come down to wait for him, so that we can go home together. I cannot allow him to come home alone, considering the security problems we have in the country. WAEC should have looked for another alternative instead of making them go through this stress,” she said.
Similarly, Mrs. Omowumi Oladipo, whose child wrote the examination at Mercy Group of Schools, shared her experience:
“These are the kind of things we should consider before we start lamenting that the students didn’t pass or there was mass failure,” she noted, after her daughter arrived home after 8:00 p.m.
Mr. Philips James, a parent of a student at St. Joseph Centenary College, highlighted broader issues affecting the education sector
“It was unfortunate that different crises are bedevilling the education sector in the country with unusual happenings,” he said
He advised the examination regulatory bodies to implement stricter measures to prevent future occurrences.
